Long-term besties Franny, Jude, and Anna face life and death in Susan Swartz’s novel Laughing In The Dark.

The women talk openly about death, disease and other struggles. Their friendship is scarred by the recent loss of their fourth friend, and that may make it easier for them to start talking about their own mortality. As Jude begins to notice her memory failing, she varies between ignoring it, and planning to gently and easily end her life, to avoid the slow decline into a painful death with Alzheimer’s.  The other women also struggle with aging and relationships, like a problematic ex who wants to come back and the ongoing strain of old infidelity, but it’s Jude’s struggle that propels the story.

I may be too young to appreciate some of the jokes and comments about aging, but the friendship felt realistic and refreshing. The three women are deeply connected to each others lives, even though they don’t agree about everything. Even when they disagree about pretty major things! I enjoyed meeting these best friends, and seeing how they loved and supported each other.

I received a copy of this novel from BookGlow for review.  Check out my other BookGlow reviews here.